Thursday, July 30, 2009

Baked zucchini fries

D has developed an intense kale addiction. I have officially overdosed on cucumbers and feel slightly ill at the thought of them (I'll be over it soon, I'm sure). We are swimming in summer squash and looking for ways to use them up.

Fries are always a good bet. I opt for the oven baked version, out of respect for my waistline and fear of getting splattered with hot oil. There are a couple of key factors in successful oven fries - light breading, high heat, and plenty of breathing room. If you crowd your baking dish, you'll end up with soggy fries. I usually bake them in small batches, even though it's bit more tedious.

: Toss everything except the zucchini in the food processor and blend it well. Alternatively, finely mince the garlic and use well grated Parmesan and just mix everything together. Put the mixture into a wide, shallow bowl and set aside.

: Slice the zucchini into fry shaped pieces of similar size (but don't worry about being too fussy).

: Beat the egg in a wide, shallow dish. Toss the zucchini pieces, a few at a time, in the egg wash and then shake them off a bit and toss them in the breading. Lay the pieces on a baking dish, making sure none of them touch. You'll probably need to do a couple of batches.

: Bake in a 475F oven for about 20 - 30 minutes, turning just once. Fries should be browned and crisp when finished.

In the winter, I use this same recipe to make sweet potato fries. You really can't go wrong. I don't actually measure the breading ingredients. I just sort of pour and toss everything into the food processor and it always turns out fine. With the exception of the time I accidentally dumped a pile of pepper in there, and even then, we still gobbled up the fries while drinking lots of water. They're very forgiving.

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